Lu Ruiqian looked at her gentle smile, his voice magnetic and soft: “I also have something I want to tell you.”
“Zhi Zhi, let me speak first, okay?”
Xia Wanzhi’s breathing quickened. Holding the flowers, she looked at him, her heart tense. Could it be… Was Shen Hong right? Was he going to… propose?
A slow, lingering sweetness washed over her, mixed with nervousness and anticipation…
If he proposed, she would… confess.
Lu Ruiqian whispered in her ear: “Zhi Zhi, close your eyes.”
Xia Wanzhi closed her eyes. A gentle breeze brushed past her ears, the fragrance of flowers wafted past her nose, and she heard the faint sound of a box being opened. Suddenly, she wished time could stop at this moment, the sweet feeling bubbling up from the depths of her heart.
It felt like returning to her first year of high school, the first time she saw Lu Ruiqian.
Lu Ruiqian had just graduated from high school at the time and returned to school to play basketball. Through the crowd, the basketball rolled to her feet.
He ran over with a smile, bent down to pick it up, and said under the sunlight: “Even the basketball knows how pretty the junior is, it just came right to you.” His words made Xia Wanzhi blush.
After Xia Wanzhi graduated from high school, Lu Ruiqian confessed his feelings, and the two got together… Later, Lu Ruiqian said he had deliberately thrown the basketball to Xia Wanzhi’s feet.
Lu Ruiqian whispered: “Zhi Zhi, open your eyes.”
Xia Wanzhi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, her face slightly flushed as she slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a diamond necklace, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
She stared at the expensive necklace and gently bit her lip. So it was a necklace.
Lu Ruiqian watched her expression, a bit nervous: “When I saw this necklace, I thought about how beautiful our Zhi Zhi would look wearing it, so I wanted to buy it for you.”
“Do you like it?”
Xia Wanzhi instantly smiled, her eyes curving, beaming with joy: “It’s so beautiful, I love it~”
Lu Ruiqian let out a sigh of relief: “I’m glad you like it. Zhi Zhi, tomorrow evening is the business banquet hosted by the Lu Group. Will you come too?”
“I want to introduce you to my family.”
Xia Wanzhi hesitated: “A business banquet… Would it be inappropriate for me to go?”
After dating for four years, Xia Wanzhi had almost no contact with the Lu family. Their statuses were too different, and Lu Ruiqian seemed to intentionally or unintentionally avoid mentioning the Lu family’s affairs.
But ever since high school, Lu Ruiqian had been a prominent figure at school. Everyone knew he was the eldest son of the Lu Group, destined to take over the Lu family and become someone standing at the pinnacle, admired and respected by all.
Lu Ruiqian was handsome, rich, and came from a top-tier family. Xia Wanzhi never understood why Lu Ruiqian had pursued her so fervently.
Back then, many girls were envious and jealous, secretly trying to chase after Lu Ruiqian, but they all eventually gave up because Lu Ruiqian remained extremely devoted to her.
“My little uncle has been appointed as the president of the Lu Group. Tomorrow is his inauguration ceremony.”
Due to the Lu family patriarch’s illness, the Lu family had fallen into a quagmire of internal power struggles. Lu Ruiqian had been extremely busy over the past six months, and every time she saw him, she felt he had changed a lot, becoming increasingly mature.
She had heard Lu Ruiqian mention that this little uncle was ruthless and cunning, with tough methods.
Hadn’t he just returned to the country not long ago? And he was already taking over as president?
But she didn’t press further.
One thing Lu Ruiqian really liked about Xia Wanzhi was that she was sensible, knew her boundaries, and never asked about things she shouldn’t know. The Lu family’s internal affairs were far more complicated than outsiders imagined.
He smiled and explained, “They’re all from the Lu family, but Uncle is more capable. He can take over and carry out bold reforms. My great-grandfather agreed to let him take over, but he signed a gamble agreement. Ah, I’ve said too much…”
“Let me put the necklace on you?”
Xia Wanzhi nodded gently, sweeping her loose black hair over her chest.
Lu Ruiqian watched her fair fingers entwined in the dark strands, the hair cascading over the curves of her white T-shirt. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
Xia Wanzhi was too obedient and pure. Every time he wanted her, she would refuse, saying they should wait until after marriage. It left him constantly restless, forcing himself to hold back.
If it weren’t for the recent fierce infighting within the Lu family, he would have married Xia Wanzhi sooner to exercise his rights as a husband…
Holding back every day was unbearably suffocating.
Lu Ruiqian gently stroked her fair neck as he fastened the diamond necklace around it.
On her pale neck, he noticed a red mark—like a bite, or perhaps… a forceful kiss…
His hand trembled, his breathing changed, and his voice involuntarily deepened. “Zhi Zhi, what… what’s on your neck?”
He wanted to pull open Xia Wanzhi’s white T-shirt and look inside—were there more marks on her body?
Had Xia Wanzhi… slept with another man?
Hearing his questioning tone, Xia Wanzhi felt her entire body turn cold. The courage she had mustered earlier to speak up had been shattered by the unexpected proposal. Now, facing this question, her heart pounded wildly. There was no way out—she had to admit it…
Lu Ruiqian’s fingers brushed the edge of Xia Wanzhi’s white T-shirt.
Xia Wanzhi swallowed hard, her fingers trembling slightly. Just when she thought she and Lu Ruiqian were about to reach their happy ending, this sudden blow struck. They were so close to happiness, and Lu Ruiqian’s tenderness made her deeply attached…
Standing behind her, Lu Ruiqian gently rubbed the red mark, the motion reminding her of how it had been left the night before. The memory of the man’s warm, damp breath against her neck, the tingling sensation mixed with a hint of fear, sent shivers down her spine.
Xia Wanzhi took a deep breath, her face pale and thin. Cold sweat slowly soaked through her back as she gritted her teeth, about to turn around and confess to Lu Ruiqian that she had slept with a stranger the night before.
Above her head, Lu Ruiqian whispered softly, “A mosquito bite?”
The deep red mark against her snow-white neck was alluring, evoking thoughts of a man punishing her with a bite, his teeth grazing her milk-like skin.
Lu Ruiqian felt he had been suppressing his desires for too long, growing so thirsty that even a small red mark made him imagine Xia Wanzhi being pinned against a door by another man, kissed until her legs trembled and she begged for mercy, whimpering like a kitten.
Even seeing that mark made him think Xia Wanzhi had slept with another man.
He really had some issues—how could he misunderstand Zhi Zhi?
Xia Wanzhi had always been obedient, conservative, sensible, and considerate. She knew how to preserve a man’s dignity, preferring to endure and sacrifice rather than make unreasonable demands. She possessed qualities rarely found in wealthy young women, and she was so beautiful… He truly adored her, which was why he never looked down on her despite her ordinary family background.
He was certain Xia Wanzhi would save her first time for him. He must have been suppressing his desires for too long, his longing for her so intense that even the sight of her fair fingers could stir restlessness within him.
Xia Wanzhi had been with him for four years. She had even chosen her university major for him—Business Administration at Tsinghua University.
She originally loved literature and wanted to apply to a normal school to become a teacher in the future.
It was he who persuaded her, saying it would be better to learn something practical so she could help him with management later. He would inherit the Lu family business, and the pressure was immense.
His selfish thought was that Xia Wanzhi already came from a poor family background; if her abilities weren’t good enough, it would be difficult for the Lu family to agree to let her marry in.
Xia Wanzhi was very obedient and listened to him.
She loved him so much—she would never betray him.
When Xia Wanzhi heard his question, her entire body relaxed. Right, mosquitoes—why hadn’t she thought of that?
Lu Ruiqian fastened the diamond necklace, gently brushed her hair back, walked around to face her, looked at Xia Wanzhi, and smiled: “It looks beautiful~ Do you like it?”
Xia Wanzhi touched her neck: “I like it. But why did you suddenly give me such an expensive gift?”
Lu Ruiqian smiled and hugged her: “I’m your boyfriend, isn’t it normal for me to give you gifts?”
“I like it when you spend my money, Zhizhi. All these years, you’ve never been willing to accept anything too expensive.”
Xia Wanzhi hesitated: “I… I’m afraid I can’t return the favor. It’s too expensive.”
Every time she received a gift from Lu Ruiqian, she had to work part-time at a convenience store or tutor to earn enough money to give him a gift of equal value. For her, receiving expensive gifts was a burden.
Lu Ruiqian tapped her nose: “Silly, when a man gives you a gift, you should just enjoy it without a second thought. No need to return anything.”
Xia Wanzhi: “But…”
Lu Ruiqian: “No buts… Zhizhi, don’t keep such a clear account with me, okay? It hurts my feelings.”
Xia Wanzhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Okay.”
But she still had to return the favor.
Seeing Xia Wanzhi’s relaxed expression, Lu Ruiqian finally felt at ease.
Yesterday, he had been held up and only saw late at night that Xia Wanzhi had called him five or six times. When he called back, her phone was off, and even after turning it on, she refused to answer. He thought Xia Wanzhi was angry, so he came early in the morning with a gift to intercept her. After coaxing her for a while, it was fine—Zhizhi was always easy to placate. So obedient, so adorable.
Xia Wanzhi: “I need to go to class now.”
Lu Ruiqian walked her to the teaching building and watched her go inside. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, something strange, as if he had forgotten something, and Xia Wanzhi seemed a bit odd too.
Maybe he was just being overly suspicious.
Xia Wanzhi slipped into the classroom and sat next to Shen Hong while the professor was discussing a business case—a merger and acquisition deal that Huazhuo Group had executed overseas. The professor repeatedly praised it, calling it cleverly executed and swift.
Shen Hong immediately noticed the mark on Xia Wanzhi’s neck and nearly gasped aloud, but Xia Wanzhi covered her mouth in alarm: “What are you doing?”
Shen Hong mumbled incoherently.
Xia Wanzhi removed her hand.
Shen Hong snickered: “Zhizhi, you’ve finally come around—did you sleep with Lu Ruiqian?”
Xia Wanzhi blushed slightly and gritted her teeth: “It wasn’t him…”
Shen Hong almost gasped again: “You? Had a one-night stand? Way to make a splash, Zhizhi.”